Advertisement

Dodgers avoid arbitration and agree on a deal with left-hander Alex Vesia

Pitcher Alex Vesia, reacting after striking out the last batter in a game last July, avoided arbitration with the Dodgers.
Pitcher Alex Vesia, reacting after striking out the last batter in a game last July, avoided arbitration with the Dodgers on Wednesday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

The Dodgers won’t have an arbitration hearing after all this offseason.

The team agreed to terms with reliever Alex Vesia on Wednesday, according to a person with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly, settling on a contract with the last arbitration-eligible player on its roster.

Vesia’s deal will reportedly guarantee him $2.3 million and includes a club option for 2026. The Athletic first reported the news.

Advertisement

The Dodgers agreed to a one-year, $13-million contract with veteran right-handed reliever Kirby Yates.

The agreement came three weeks after Vesia filed for a $2.35-million salary and the team filed at $2.05 million, setting the stage for what would have been the team’s first hearing — in which a panel of independent arbitrators would have selected one of the salary numbers after hearing arguments from both sides — since before the start of the 2020 season.

Instead, Vesia is now locked in for the 2025 campaign, hopeful of building off a standout 2024 performance that saw him post a 1.76 ERA and 0.995 WHIP as the Dodgers’ top left-hander in the bullpen.

Vesia, a former 17th-round draft pick out of Cal State East Bay, was originally acquired by the Dodgers in 2021 and has a career 2.89 ERA with the team.

Advertisement